2007 Brain Tumor Society charity hike qs.

[Jay H]

Hey, I guess I need to start thinking of this year.....

Anybody have any ideas, we've done the Catskills twice, the presidentials once already...

So far, it has been dayhikes on single long trails, looking at keeping the tradition....

One idea in the Whites has panned out, but it's time to think of others. I've bounced the idea of the Taconic Crest Trail (patch involved) cause I've never hiked it, and like the area.

Haven't had one in the ADKs either though I've always thought of the Great Range thing... does that scare you?

Anyway, open to ideas.... besides the trail itself, needs logistics for group camping...

Jay

 

[sli74]

Here is a thought . . .maybe not in line with the past hikes.
How about if we try and get people to hike various sections of the Long Trail in Vermont and try and get coverage for the whole trail in one day. We may or may not be able to accomplish it but it might be an interesting thing to do . . . hikers of all abilities could be involved, everyone sign up for a section and we can even try to coordinate key swaps, or key exchanges . . . it might be too complicated to pull off?

sli74

 

[sli74]

You could also try a Pemi loop trip in NH or the Great Range in NY as you already suggested, though both of these would limit participants to those who are most fit and most crazy . . .

Another possibility is the Tongue Mountain Range near Lake George, most of us could do that in one day?

sli74

 

[Jay H]

Hey Seema, I think the key swap coordination for that would be insane... what if you get to your Point B and nobody shows up.. That sounds interesting though.. what is the LT length...250miles or something.


How about a Franconia Ridge traverse? I still really want to do that someday, might be a good time for it....

Jay

 

[sli74]

Hey Seema, I think the key swap coordination for that would be insane... what if you get to your Point B and nobody shows up.. That sounds interesting though.. what is the LT length...250miles or something.


How about a Franconia Ridge traverse? I still really want to do that someday, might be a good time for it....

Jay

Franconia Ridge sounds great as long as we have good weather . . . like the Presis, it is quite a bit above treeline.

When I was thinking key swap, I was thinking about it this way . . . let's say we are all hiking South to North, the person who is starting their hike where you end the hike, will give you a spare key the night before. When you get to their car, you drive it back to the campground. They will be carrying keys to the car left bu the person starting where they are ending and so on . . . does that make sense? I know it can potentially be a logistical nightmare and that is why I suggested it with that disclaimer.

If we can pull it off though, it would be pretty cool.

sli74

 

[daxs]

I would think that the folks who have handled a presi range traverse could handle a great range traverse. We would prob need shuttles due to parking considerations - esp the garden. You could always start from the garden, haystack optional, do basin, saddleback and Gothics. Could bail out here if necessary to either the garden or lake road and ausable club. Also support could hike up to Gothics from the Lake Road. (Ambitious folks could add on sawteeth). Onto armstrong. Could bail out here down to beaver meadow falls and the lake road. Someone could also hike up this way for support - may be the col between the 2 mountains. Finish up on UWJ ( could bail here back to gardens) and LWJ and hike either back to garden or onto the lake road and parking at st huberts. Now for camping, last summer folks did a family gathering at whispering pines?? Unsure of the name. we could prob reserve that campsite. they have showers. of course, not free like last year. For folks not wanting to camp, there are several hostels and reasonably priced motels, the Ark, to stay at.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

I think the idea of the Long Trail is a neat one, but it does sound like a logisitical nightmare for whoever is organizing (keeping track of what sections have hikers, which don't, meeting places, etc). Also, over that long of distance, seems like it would be harder to have the whole group together for camping/hanging out in the evening (which seems to be a big draw to some people).

Where's the Taconic Crest trail?

I would be interested in the Great Range. Seems like it would be harder than the Presi traverse, but I would be interested in giving it a shot. We've camped before at the North Pole campground and I believe they have group campsites or at the very least could take over a section of the 100 Acres Woods section (they have two campgrounds, one is more rustic than the other). There is also a small motel there for people who don't want to camp. The location is a little further from the trails (it's near Whiteface), but it is one place I know of that seems like it would work.

 

[sapblatt]

Traverse idea

Keep in mind, I have only thought of this as a backpack- but it is different....and it would require a very short roadwalk on the Kanc...I think the fast and fit could possibly do this, but it may not be doable in a day...

McCrillis Trail up Whiteface
Kate Sleeper Trail over the Sleepers then up and over the Trypyramids.
Pine Bend Brook Trail down to the Kanc
I forget which trail, but from here you would walk the Kanc to a trail (Cedar? I forget) to get you over to the Hancocks - from there it is a short jaunt over to the Bonds where you would go over all three of them and then for good measure you would hit the Twins - ending your day in a large field campsite on Haystack Road....passed out and waiting for your new legs and lungs to arrive.
13 peaks
20-30 miles
elevation - not sure I would even want to know...

 

[SherpaKroto]

Another thought would be a SemiPemi Traverse. Start at North Twin Trail head over the Twins, Guyot, Bonds. Alternates could head over Galehead, Garfield, and Franconia ridge (for you uberhikers). A good way to catch a bunch of 4k's.

Another option would be to stay low and traverse the Pemi from Zealand to Wilderness. No peaks, beautiful Wilderness.

 

[spongebob]

The Taconic sounds like fun to me. But it doesn't really matter where we go, as we will get to all these places eventually from this worthy event. (Hosted by the opposite of worthy dude though.)

 

[Jay H]

Mike, well like I said, I've been keeping the tradition of single trails... or at least ridgelines or groups of mtns... Sounds pretty tough though...

PG: I would think the Great Range would easily be harder than a Presi traverse... I've had some folks tell me privately though that it might scare some people off, but people are free to do shorter hikes, like as Daxs mentions, out to gothics and back or so.

SK: Interesting, but I would really like to do Lincoln and Lafayette and Garfield, if I was to do a hike in that area... I like the pemis a lot and did S. Twin, the Bonds with Tuco awhile ago, but not Lincoln and that area of the Pemis.

Spongebob: Neither sponge nor bob!

Jay

 

[sli74]

but I would really like to do Lincoln and Lafayette and Garfield, Jay

We could all start up the Gale River Trail and bag Galehead and then some folks head over Garfield, Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty and Flume to Lincoln Woods and the rest head over South Twin, and the Bonds to Lincoln Woods . . . with the final meeting place being Lincoln Woods . . . then we could use the camping area or motels near Lincoln Woods as a posthike party place?

sli74

 

[sli74]

Or here is another idea . . .

We can have a 302 to 93 traverse (a 3 hut traverse) . . . start at the Zealand end off Rt 302, hike past Zealand Hut, and Zealand, head over South Twin, down to Galehead Hut, and then over Garfield to Lafayette and down to Greenleaf Hut and out to 93. Folks could do all or some of that traverse, with the Huts serving as nice places for the "helpers" to have goodies for the participants?

sli74

 

[Bobby]

We could all start up the Gale River Trail and bag Galehead and then some folks head over Garfield, Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty and Flume to Lincoln Woods and the rest head over South Twin, and the Bonds to Lincoln Woods . . . with the final meeting place being Lincoln Woods . . . then we could use the camping area or motels near Lincoln Woods as a posthike party place?

I like this idea. There a enough places to bail out, or to set up shorter hikes. SK's idea of going over North and South Twin then onto the Bonds is also interesting, maybe because I haven't been there yet!

 

[Jay H]

Well, I'm going to have to take a look at my White maps, I know the geology of the pemis by now, but the trail details I'd have to look at my map.

I'm going to try to freeze my *ss off this weekend in the ADKs so I should have time next week to check this out. Thanks Seema!

Hmm, the Taconic sounds interesting but we do need bailout points for folks... I still like to go there someday but perhaps not as a TBS hike.

I've heard of the entire AT in CT would be another option. Would be interesting to run it in conjunction with hikethe115's AT hike this year...

Jay

 

[MichaelJ]

Call me crazy (I know, you often do), but let's go someplace other than the Pemi or Presies for a change.

I like the Taconic Crest idea but if there aren't bailouts I understand it could be an issue. Here are a few other ideas:

How about a Kilkenny traverse? Long but not difficult, though few views and very few bailout options. Okay, Taconic would be better than this.

Or maybe not every LT section but one set of folks could do Lincoln Ridge (Abe-Ellen) and the others either the section north or south, and everyone converges at the same gap? I'd have to look at the book but that would have the potential for an easier section for some, a harder for others, and there are bailouts though not a lot.

Or a Sandwich Range traverse from N. Tri all the way to Passaconaway, tons of bailouts to the Kanc along that route, as well as shorter and loop options for folks to come in from Ferncroft.

 

[Jay H]

Hey MichaelJ, we've only done the TBS hike in the Whites once (in the Presis), the catskills twice. I've done the Presi traverse before as training for Rainier, but that was not a TBS thing.

I keep getting closer to doing the great range in the ADKs...and then there was the Berkshires gathering where there wasn't much turnout.. Might be weather related as they didn't have a very nice weekend for it...

I could have it in my house in NJ and we can do about 10 laps of Pyramid Mtn...hahahahaha... right next door though.

Jay

 

[Kevin]

There is also the thought of doing the Conn AT section in one day, as CBCBD had planned once... It could even be broken into a two day hike if folks wanted... Plenty of bailouts, plenty of camping, at the end there is the Mount Washington SP who I think have a few group spots, as well as the the state park in Copake Falls, NY.

 

[rocksnrolls]

Hmm, the Taconic sounds interesting but we do need bailout points for folks... I still like to go there someday but perhaps not as a TBS hike. Jay

The Taconic Crest Trail does have multiple bailout options, not all of which are shown on the Mass AMC Guide's NW map. It's not the most attractive trail around though, lots of ATV damage. Check out my trip report from when I was up there in October:
http://rocksontop.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1894

Now, the South Taconic Trail, that's a great hike! Awesome views, lots of bailout options, it hikes through NY, CT (a short side trail brings you to the state highpoint and the MA/NY/CT tristate marker), and MA, and a reasonably long distance of about 18.5 miles with 5000' of elevation. Trip report here:
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12181

 

[Dugan]

Or maybe not every LT section but one set of folks could do Lincoln Ridge (Abe-Ellen) and the others either the section north or south, and everyone converges at the same gap?

I've heard that traversing the LT from Camel's Hump to Mansfield, or vice versa, is called the equivalent of a VT Presi Traverse.